1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package for a cassette storage case, and more particularly, to a package for a cassette storage case having received therein a recording medium cassettexe2x80x94such as a video tape cassette or a cleaning cassette, formed by winding a packaging material on the cassette storage case to seal and wrap the latter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a video tape cassette and a cassette storage case used for storing the video tape cassette therein. The video tape cassette is indicated with a reference 1 and cassette storage case is with a reference 2. The video tape cassette 1 is for example adapted for use in a video tape recorder. It is housed in the cassette storage case 2 for supply to a user. The video tape cassette 1 is put in the cassette storage case 2 for storage or carrying. As shown, the cassette storage case 2 is formed as a generally rectangular thin box having the nearly same shape as the video tape cassette 1. The cassette storage case 2 is formed from a cardboard or a soft synthetic resin. The cassette storage case 2 has an inner space 3 generally equal in size to the video tape cassette 1 except that the depth or width is slightly larger. The video tape cassette 1 is received in the inner space 3 of the cassette storage case 2. The inner space 3 will be referred to as xe2x80x9ccassette receiving spacexe2x80x9d hereunder.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cassette storage case 2 is open along one of the longitudinal sides of the cassette receiving space 3. The opening is indicated with a reference 4. The video tape cassette 1 is introduced into or taken out of the cassette receiving space 3 through the opening 4. The cassette storage case 2 consists of front and rear main surfaces 5 and 6 defining together the cassette receiving space 3 and having opening edges 5a and 6a, respectively. The front and rear main surfaces 5 and 6 have cuts 7a and 7b formed therein, respectively, at the side of the opening 4 and nearly in the middle of the case length. The cuts 7a and 7b are opposite to each other. The video tape cassette 1 can be pinched with fingers in the cuts 7a and 7b for easy removal from inside the cassette storage case 2. The cuts 7a and 7b will generically be referred to xe2x80x9ccassette guide cuts 7xe2x80x9d hereunder. Each of the cassette guide cuts 7 has a trapezoidal form of which the side at the opening 3 is longer.
As will be seen from the above description, when the video tape cassette 1 is fully received in the cassette receiving space 3 of the cassette storage case 2, a part thereof will be exposed in the cassette guide cuts 7. Namely, the cassette guide cuts 7 will make it easier to handle the video tape cassette in relation to the cassette storage case 2.
Normally, as a commodity for supply to a user, the video tape cassette 1 put in the cassette receiving space 3 of the cassette storage case 2 is wholly wrapped and sealed with a packaging material 100 as shown in FIG. 2. The packaging material 100 is formed from a transparent resin film sheet, for example, a polypropylene film sheet, to have a little larger size than the spread shape of the cassette storage case 2. The packaging material 100 has a cutting tape 101 thermally tacked to the inner surface thereof. The packaging material 100 can easily be cut by and along this cutting tape 101. For packaging the cassette storage case 2, it is first wrapped with the packaging material 100 so that the latter has a cylindrical shape, and then the cylinder of the packaging material 100 is folded at each end thereof so that the upper and lower portions thereof will overlap each other (which is a so-called xe2x80x9ccaramel packagingxe2x80x9d). This packaging will seal the cassette storage case 2, which means that the video tape cassette 1 is an unused one, and also protect the cassette storage case 2 against dust and abrasion. The packaging material 100 is appropriately designed (not shown) for an esthetic appearance of the commodity.
Generally, two, three or five pieces of video tape cassette 1 are packaged together for sales in many cases. That is, the video tape cassette 1 is sold as a two-piece, three-piece or five-piece pack. In this case, each piece of the cassette storage case 2 having the video tape cassette 1 received therein is packaged with the packaging material 100 as in the above, then a predetermined number of the packaged cassette storage cases 2 are stacked together, and further the stack of the packaged cassette storage cases 2 is xe2x80x9ccaramel-packagedxe2x80x9d with a packaging material 102 as shown in FIG. 3. This packaging material 102 is also formed from a transparent polypropylene film sheet having a slightly larger size than the spread shape of the stack of the cassette storage cases 2.
However, the above-mentioned packaging of the cassette storage case 2 needs a packaging material of a larger size than the cassette storage case 2 or the stack of the cassette storage cases 2 and thus it costs much, which is not consistent with the simple packaging asserted in the recent movements for resource conservation and environmental protection. Also, generally in the packaging of the cassette storage case 2, the cutting tape 101 is also formed from a transparent resin film and is closely tacked at the end thereof to the packaging material 102. Thus, the user will not easily be aware of the location of the opening end of the cutting tape 101 or the packaging material 102 cannot easily be opened by the cutting tape 101.
The invention of the present invention has already proposed a novel tape cassette sealing structure by which the problem of the packaging structure of the cassette storage case 2 could be overcome (as disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-183458, titled xe2x80x9cTape Cassette Sealing Structurexe2x80x9d). This conventional sealing structure is such that a sealing tape 110 is wound on the cassette storage case 2 as shown in FIG. 4. The sealing tape 110 is narrower than the cassette guide cuts 7 in the cassette storage case 2, and wound about the cassette storage case 2 at the cassette guide cuts 7 in a direction across the opening 4. As shown, the sealing tape 110 has opposite end portions 110a and 110b which will be placed to overlap each other and thermally tacked to each other.
In this conventional sealing structure, the sealing tape 110 has a sufficient width and length to wrap the above-mentioned portion of the cassette storage case 2 having the video tape cassette 1 received therein, so the above-mentioned simple packaging can be implemented. Namely, the packaging material cost and packaging steps can be reduced. Also, in this conventional sealing structure, the sealing tape 110 present on the cassette storage case 2 means that the video tape cassette 1 received in the case 2 is an unused one, and acts to seal the cassette storage case 2.
For unpacking the cassette storage case 2 to take out the video tape cassette 1 for use, the user has to cut the sealing tape 110 by inserting a cutter or the like under the sealing tape 110. This is possible since the sealing tape 110 is narrower than the cassette guide cuts 7. However, the conventional packaging structure makes it necessary to use the cutter or the like for cutting the sealing tape 110, and the cassette storage case 2 may possibly be cut or damaged by the cutter when unpacking the cassette storage case 2.
Also, for unpacking the cassette storage case 2, it is not impossible for the user to tear the sealing tape 110 with the finger introduced under the sealing tape 110, which however is very difficult because of the elasticity of the sealing tape 110. Further, when the user tries to unpack as in the above, the cassette storage case 2 may possibly be deformed or the sealing tape 110 is likely to be caught at the cassette guide cuts 7 and thus be rolled up and broken at the edges thereof Moreover, when the cassette storage case 2 is packaged in the above conventional manner, the sealing tape 110 will possibly override the lateral edges of the cassette guide cuts 7 and thus be creased or roll up the edges of the cassette storage case 2 to form a projection whose height is approximately the thickness of the cassette storage case 2 (which will be referred to as xe2x80x9cstepxe2x80x9d hereunder). The xe2x80x9cstepxe2x80x9d will make a clearance between the packaged cassette storage cases placed in stack. In this case, the conventional package will rather spoil the appearance of the cassette storage cases 2. The packaged cassette storage cases cannot neatly be displayed as commodities in stack or otherwise on the shop counter.
Accordingly, the present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a cassette storage case package including the features of the tape cassette sealing structure according to the above-mentioned Applicant""s invention, and further adapted to positively package the cassette storage case with a reduced amount of packaging material (saving of resources), prevent damage to the cassette guide cut formed in the cassette storage case being package, improve the appearance of the cassette storage case as a commodity and facilitate unpacking.
The above object can be attained by providing a cassette storage case package formed from a sealing/packaging tape which is wound on a cassette storage case open at one lateral side thereof for insertion of a cassette into the cassette storage case as well as for removal from the cassette storage case and having cassette guide cuts formed in main surfaces thereof at the open side as well as having defined therein a cassette receiving space in which a cassette is received through the cassette insertion opening.
The sealing/packaging tape is wider than the cassette guide cuts in the cassette storage case and wound on the cassette storage case across the cassette insertion opening to cover the cassette guide cuts, thereby sealing and packaging the cassette storage case.
Also the above object can be attained by providing a cassette storage case package formed from a sealing/packaging tape which is wound on a stack of cassette storage cases each open at one lateral side thereof for insertion of a cassette into the cassette storage case as well as for removal from the cassette storage case and having cassette guide cuts formed in main surfaces thereof at the open side as well as having defined therein a cassette receiving space in which a cassette is received through the cassette insertion opening.
The sealing/packaging tape is wider than the cassette guide cuts in the cassette storage case and wound on the stack of the cassette storage cases across the cassette insertion openings to cover the cassette guide cuts, thereby sealing and packaging the stack of the cassette storage cases.
According to the present invention, the cassette storage case packaging constructed as in the above can be made using a sealing/packaging tape having a sufficient length to extend around one cassette storage case or stack of the cassette storage cases in the lateral direction, which contributes very much to a simplified packaging and saving of the packaging material (resources). Also, the cassette insertion opening of the cassette storage case is closed with the sealing/packaging tape, which assures the users that a tape cassette contained in the cassette storage case is an unused one. Further, the sealing/packaging tape covers the cassette guide cuts as a whole so that the sealing/packaging tape will not break or roll up the edges of the cassette guide cuts to form a xe2x80x9cstepxe2x80x9d, which would be in the conventional cassette storage case packaging. Thus, a plurality of the cassette storage cases packaged according to the present invention can be placed in stack with no xe2x80x9cstepxe2x80x9d between the packaged cassette storage cases. Namely, the packaged cassette storage cases can neatly be displayed as commodities in stack or otherwise on the shop counter.
These objects and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.